Easter
Sunday
The Collect
|
A
|
LMIGHTY
God, who through thine only-begotten Son Jesus Christ hast overcome death, and
opened unto us the gate of everlasting life; We humbly beseech thee that, as by
thy special grace preventing us thou dost put into our minds good desires, so
by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect; through the same
Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost
ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
1 After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the
disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself.
2 There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and
Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his
disciples. 3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto
him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship
immediately; and that night they caught nothing. 4 But when the morning was
now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was
Jesus. 5 Then Jesus saith unto them, Children,
have ye any meat? They answered him, No. 6 And he said unto
them, Cast the net on the right side of the
ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not
able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. 7 Therefore that disciple
whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard
that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,)
and did cast himself into the sea. 8 And the other disciples came in a
little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred
cubits,) dragging the net with fishes. 9 As soon then as they were come to
land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.
10 Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish
which ye have now caught. 11 Simon Peter went up, and drew the
net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all
there were so many, yet was not the net broken. 12 Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst
ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord. 13 Jesus then cometh,
and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise. 14 This is now the
third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen
from the dead. (John 21:1-14)
John is my favorite Gospel writer (perhaps because he is the one under present
consideration) since his writings reflect such personal touches and affections.
If you review each of his works (Gospel of John, 1, 2, 3 John, and Revelations)
you will note that each end with a beautiful touch of the Master’s glorious and
artful inspiration. This is not to detract from the inspiration of every other
Word of Scripture, but some of those words, like John’s, are like the Himalayas
of inspiration and beauty. This last chapter of the Gospel of St John is an
example of that beauty. We shall see even more of that beauty when we cover the
last few verses in our next devotion.
The favorite Bible chapter of General George S. Patton was Psalms 63. Its
inherent beauty is enough even to move the heart of “Old Blood and Guts”
Patton. The first two verses of that wonderful Psalm set the stage for all that
follows: O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul
thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where
no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the
sanctuary. (Psalms 63:1-2) The salient point that leaps out to
our hearts at the first is the time at which we should seek God – EARLY! Why
would we seek Him early? Because our heart’s thirst for Him and His affections,
combined with the longing of our souls, drives us from our twilight sleep in
dawn’s early light to the throne of grace, mercy, and communion in prayer with
Him.
Jesus was an early riser. In fact, He is the first fruits of those who slept in
the grave. But in His earthly ministry, He always rose early and resorted,
often, to the mountain to pray. He even spent nights on the Mount of Olives in
prayer: Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he
came again into the temple (John 8:1-2) Sleeping under the stars may
not always yield the best means of rest and restoration, but it did not prevent
Christ from rising early in service to His Father. How early did you seek the
Lord today, dear friend? Or did you just this moment think of it?
Now, you will remember the words of the great Angel to Mary Magdalene, and the
other women, by the Garden Tomb EARLY on the morning of the Resurrection: But
go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into
Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. (Mark 16:7)
So Peter goes fishing along with others of the disciples. There were
together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in
Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. Simon
Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee.
They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they
caught nothing. Where does he go fishing? On the Sea of
Galilee where the Lord has said they will find Him! They fish all the dark
hours of night and have caught not a single minnow. The slender and radiant
fingers of dawn begin to illuminate the eastern sky, and their nets are empty –
poor fellows. What terrible fortune they may have surmised! When hope is
forlorn and our nets are empty, our despondent hearts may not expect the rich
and glorious blessing that God may intend for us. But even with empty nets, we
must stand fast in the faith. The unpretentious Hand of God looms beyond the
shadows! Standing, even before the sunrise, is the One whom they have followed
these past years more alive than ever. At first, they know Him not. But
when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew
not that it was Jesus.
Has Christ walked the Road to Emmaus with you without your knowing Him in your
downcast heart? Has He beckoned from life’s shore when your nets are empty and
all seems at loss? Has He appeared at dawn’s early light to make your whole day
Light? Our search for Christ always begins in darkness, since our souls without
Him are in darkness, and leads to the glorious sunrise of our hearts, doesn’t
it? Do you know that Christ will speak to your heart at moments that are least
expected – even if you do not at first recognize His Holy Presence?
Christ is always concerned, not only for our hearts, but our physical
well-being. Then Jesus saith unto them, Children,
have ye any meat? He speaks to grown and sea-worn
fishermen, but He affectionately calls them “children.” What a blessing to be a
child of God and to know that our Heavenly Father looks over us as a doting
mother her little ones. Even the grey-haired bard, and the innocent and
disfigured baby on the abortionist’s table, is likewise the child of God. God
treasures each whether the world sets any value upon their souls or not. So,
Christ inquires if they have caught any food to eat. Of course, our true food
is to do the works of our Father in Heaven; but FISH will do for the moment!
Christ often approaches us with a question into our well-being, though He
knows our straights. When we are made more keenly aware of our depravity by a
question, we are more apt to appreciate the benefit of grace to follow. “They
answered him, No.” No, they have caught nothing even after
hard labor all the night long! Do you suppose that God did not intend them to
catch a single fish so that His miracle might be magnified in their hearts?
And he said unto them, Cast the net on the
right side of the ship, and ye shall find. Now, why would
seasoned fisherman take such advice from a ‘stranger on the shore’? They KNEW
their job. They KNEW fishing. They KNEW the hours of darkness to be optimal for
catching fish. Yet, a stranger tells them to drop their nets “on the right
side” and they shall catch fish. Why should they believe Him or pay Him any
heed? He was not tentative in His advice, but firm and authoritative! He spoke
as one having authority! “…the people were astonished at his doctrine:
For he taught them as one having authority. (Matt 7:29) Do you give
your testimony in a sense of doubt or hesitation? Or do you speak with the
authority and certainty of strong faith? At any rate, the proof is in the
pudding, isn’t it? They cast therefore, and now they were not able to
draw it for the multitude of fishes. If we will simply
follow of heavenly marching orders, with the sure confidence of soldiers who
have the ultimate trust in their Commander to know the disposition of the
battlefield, our trust shall be rewarded in amazing ways – and in ways we could
never have dreamed possible. Even three night’s fishing could not have yielded
such a catch. But their nets were filled in a single drop – so filled that they
could barely drag the net. These fish are like souls whom we draw to Christ
through our faith and testimony.
Who is the disciple whom Jesus especially loved? It is the humble scribe of
this Gospel – John the Beloved Disciple – who was meek in love and not willing
to mention his name here. Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved
saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the
Lord, he girt his fisher's coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast
himself into the sea. It was John’s unremitting love for
Christ that revealed to him who it was that had commanded the miracle. Unlike
Thomas, Peter had the heart to believe the word of a fellow Apostle. His
conscience had been tormented for these past several days over his denial of
Jesus. That look with which Christ had looked upon him, that third time of his
denial burned in his heart from that moment until now. But shame would not keep
him from rushing to Christ just as he had run to the Garden Tomb to find it
empty that early morning outside Jerusalem. The Sea of Galilee could have been
aflame and Peter would have still left the boat to come to Christ. This time he
did not require an invitation as on the night of the storm when Christ walked
on the turbulent deep. He could not wait to come to Christ. His route to Christ
covered the shortest distance between two points – a straight line; and it is
the straight line which we must always follow to Christ. There are no detours
of sin or darkness, but STRAIGHT to the Light as an Eagle flies to the sun!
We must never forget, in the winter of our lives, to bring those other fish with
which the Lord has blessed us lest we approach the Lord on that Last Day
empty-handed. And the other disciples came in a little ship;
(for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging
the net with fishes. But if one is absent-minded in his
eagerness to approach Christ, others must fill the gap. As soon as we
reach the opposite shore of Jordan Waters, we are blessed to see the Lord there
with those fishes which we have loved, long and deeply in Christ, there with
Him already.
As
soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish
laid thereon, and bread.
Christ prepares all of our needs already. All we must do is come to Him. But He
desires that we bring our rewards with us so that we do not approach Heaven in
poverty of souls: Jesus saith unto them, Bring
of the fish which ye have now caught. How many fish will
you bring at your home-going, or will you arrive without friend or family? Have
we labored in our own works and caught NOTHING, or have we listened and
followed that perfect will of God and caught more fishes than our nets can
easily hold? When Christ gave this counsel, Peter remembered his remission, and
returned to gather the fish to the shore. Simon Peter went up, and
drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and
for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken. These
were not minnows, but GREAT fishes. Every fish (convert) that the Lord puts in
your hands is a GREAT fish in the eyes of the LORD. Let us not forget to
nourish those souls continually that we have caught in our nets. The
significance of the number ‘153’ is beyond the scope of this brief devotion.
Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine.
And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the
Lord. This is perhaps and early reminder to us of that Marriage
Supper of the Lamb which looms beyond the parameters of time and space.
After observing the miracle of the great catch, as well as the symbolism
demonstrated in the other acts of Christ, the disciples knew, without doubt,
who He was. Do you know, after all of the fine-tuned and unmerited blessings
you have received at His merciful Hands, who He is that has granted the favors?
Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish
likewise. How often had these dear Hands provided their
sustenance in the Wilderness, on the Mountain Height, in the upper Room – and
on the cross! Jesus gives us fish whether we catch them or not – they BELONG to
Him! And not only does He give us fish, but the Bread of Heaven as well. He
spreads a table before us in the wilderness, and in the presence of our
enemies, provoking their unworthy hatred of us, and of Him. He opens fountains
of water in the desert places, and rivers of water beside which our feet are
planted.
